Emery Tracker: Month Eight

The Story
So, it appears I may have gotten overzealous with touting myself as timely, huh?  Whoops!  I was on the straight and narrow and then things got a little crazy here on the home front.  Who knew that a household with 2 working parents and 1 tiny mobile princess could be so exhausting?  Oh, all of you?  Cool.

Remember last month when I said I was just waiting for the other shoe to drop?  I'm still waiting.  A friend told me the other day that 8-11 months or so was one of their favorite ages.  I haven't been through them all yet, obviously, but I have to say I agree so far.

This?  Again?  It's really dark and you guys have no idea how to take pictures.

It's been another sincerely fantastic month.  I feel especially privileged to say that considering the fact that Emery started teething this month.  Given this child's propensity for drama, I expected that to be a wild ride for us.  Granted we are just beginning, but thus far she has been handling it like a champ!  At the end of the month you could see the top parts of both of her bottom, center teeth.  I thought I would be really broken up about this whole teething thing because I was prettttttty attached with her gummy little smile.  Luckily she's still just as adorable with her tiny little teefers.  Phew.  :c)

This month she has really become a pro at both crawling and pulling up on things.  I think she might crawl faster than I walk.  She sure pulls up on things faster than I do.  (Insert old age joke here.)  She gets so PROUD of herself when she finds you around a corner or crawls into the kitchen to see you.  She gets even more proud of herself when she pulls up on something new.  By the way, the list of things small children will pull up on is ridiculous.  Fairly tall, completely unstable stuffed animal?  Sure, let's give that a whirl.  When she succeeds, she beams like she's just discovered the 9th wonder of the world and bounces up and down.  These things are hilarious to me.  Every single thing she does keeps me in stitches.  Watching her discover the world is so, so addictive.  Ryan and I practically have to arm wrestle to see who has to take her into school each morning because it's even more difficult now than it was when we first started.  If only someone would pay me to just stare in awe at her all day.  (If you're willing - send me an email!)

Oh hey there!  Ya'll really have not improved at taking pictures at all.  I've learned to sit up, crawl, pull up and sleep on my own in 8 months.  What are you bringing to the table?

Speaking of watching her start to understand the world- she does.  She definitely knows her name.  That isn't really new, but I don't think I've ever written it down here.  She also understands what she likes and doesn't like food-wise.  Likes?  Puffs and oatmeal.  Dislikes?  Everything else.  She would throw you into traffic for a puff.  I'm not kidding.  Grain and carb obsession?  Sounds like a girl after her Mama's heart.

She still loves to play and prefers to be on the ground generally.  Her cuddle bug phase is long, long gone.  Her play style has evolved some this month in that she generally likes to carry a toy (doesn't matter which one) with her wherever she goes.  It provides an added challenge when you try to pull up on something with 1, and sometimes 2, hands already full.  She also crawls with something in her hand, which makes her hilariously gimpy.  Another evolution in her play is that she appears to try to "talk" to toys/stuffed animals with faces.  Let me tell you - by the way she screams at them and then shakes them around, we might have a bossypants on our hands.  Lets all keep our fingers crossed she's a more benevolent dictator than some of these traits are foreshadowing.

Physical evidence that the drool per capita in this house is out of hand.

This month in terms of personality she continues to display signs of being sensitive (she reacts with a furrowed brow and sometimes fusses a bit when I sternly tell her no) and of being eternally skeptical (I've apologized to multiple people in lines when their silly faces provoked zero smiles from her).  She has also shown real signs of being shy and an intense FOMO (fear of missing out).  In terms of shyness, she truly is quieter around new people.  She just sits very still and stares.  It takes a while before she warms up and starts crawling, pulling up, etc.  It takes even longer before she will make any noises, which she does all the time at home when it's just Ryan and I.  Also, she never ever, ever throws a fit around other people.  She will wait until 0.5 seconds have elapsed once they're gone and then she erupts.  It makes Ryan & I look crazy when we try to rush out of places to avoid the inevitable we're-past-her-nap-time meltdown that is sure to ensure in the car or after she hears the front door close.  It's like clockwork.  Because we are so used to her making us look crazy, Ryan & I just laugh.

Her FOMO has displayed itself in an all out refusal to nap if there is anything to look at or listen to in the vicinity.  At school, most days she comes home having had maybe 2 twenty minute naps.  That would be a good day, really.  We know she isn't outgrowing the nap though because when we are all at home on weekends, she will take at least 1 two-three hour nap, sometimes 2 naps.  Crazy little lovebug.

Hey, when did this little hole get here?

I know I've said it once fifty times, but I'll say it again- each month has truly been better than the last.  I can't wait to see what all is in store for us in the coming months.  I wish I could freeze time and live in this spot forever.  We love you, precious, precious angel!

The School Stuff
Emery's teacher in her new class don't seem to tell us as many stories as in her first class.  I'm trying to think what they've told us this month.  They have informed us that she is obsessed with puffs.  We are keenly aware of this fact (see traffic comment above).  Otherwise it's been mainly factual stuff.

This month at school she had her FIRST SCHOOL PICTURES (I'll post some in her next month's update) and she got to be in the Halloween parade.  Mama had no idea a Halloween parade was happening, so she wasn't in her peacock attire.  I think that was probably in everyone's best interest though.

Sweet, smiley girl.

Oh, they also are making us send her to school in shoes now because they don't want her sliding around when she pulls up.  They also seem to be of the school of thought that she might be an early walker.  Mama earmuffs it when people say things like this.  I'm not ready.  NOT READY.  Em seems pretty baffled by this whole shoe turn of events.

It's so fun to watch her learn and grow with her friends.  I am excited to see what new things she picks up next!

The Stats

• Height:  27.75" inches (79th percentile)
• Weight: 18 lbs 4 oz (66th percentile) 
• Head:  Ummm.. bigger than last month?  :c)
• Diaper size: 3
• Clothes: 6-9 months mostly but we have transitioned to 12 months for jammies
• Shoes:  She's wearing a size 3 and she looooooves to pull them off her feet.=
• Milk:  Still eats pretty much every 3 hours, give or take 30 minutes.  She has either 3 or 4 six oz bottles at school.  I feed her before school and after school.  Then she has a 3 oz bottle before bed.
• Solids:  This month we moved from rice cereal to oatmeal cereal.  The girl is obsessed, and that isn't an exaggeration.  This month since she has felt good she has tried lots of new solids - green beans, apples, bananas, avocados, zucchini, mixes of apple/squash and carrot/squash.  She eats solids 2-3 times a day.  At school she eats lunch (a fruit or veggie) and sometimes she has oatmeal with it or sometimes they'll give her oatmeal separately at another time.  She also has 2-3 "snacks" at school of puffs or melts.  She likes puffs better than melts.  For dinner she has a veggie/fruit and oatmeal cereal.  We try the veggie/fruit on it's own first and then mix whatever she won't eat in with her cereal.  Of the new things she has tried this month, she has really dug avocados and zucchini and has been fairly neutral on the rest.  
• Firsts: 
• First finger food in her mouth - puff (October 7th)
• Mastered pulling up and safely getting back down (October 11th)
• First day in Infant B class at school (October 14th)
• First time babbling Ma Ma Ma (October 20th)
• First tooth coming in - bottom, center, her right (October 23rd)
• Second tooth coming in - bottom, center, her left (November 1st)
• Games:  Popping up over the top of furniture or peeking out at her around corners.  This is the surest way to get her to smile or laugh.
• Favorite Toys:  Water bottles, my iPhone, the remote, her Christmas Baby from my parents or the little teddy bear from her Missouri family
• Songs:  I mainly have been singing radio songs to her.  I may have temporarily given up on remembering childhood songs for the time being.  Although I did bust out some Little Bunny Foo Foo like a champ the other day.  I guess if we're being honest I should cop to signing the Barney song pretty regularly when getting her jammies on.  I did a lot of babysitting growing up, what can I say?
• Sleep:  She continues to be a great sleeper!  Please dear heavens- let this persist.  She still normally goes down between 8 & 8:30 depending on when Mama & Daddy get home from work and get things moving.  On weekdays she normally sleeps until I wake her around 6:15.  On weekends she will wake up any time between 7 & 8.
• Other Notables:  Last month I commented on Em's eye and hair color because I thought I had made up my mind.  This month I'm really not sure.  Her eyes still (to this day at almost 9 months) aren't absolutely brown.  They're kind of a gray color.  Maybe she will miraculously wind up with hazel eyes?  Also, the roots of her hair seem lighter than the tips.  My official stance will still be light brown but I'm starting to wonder.  So fun to see how genetics work out.  Also, she still looks just like her Daddy, but he continues to not see it.  Which cracks me up.

Alright, I'm over it.  Psssst, Lola.  Get me out of here!

i(Phone) Spy: Month Eight - Emery

You know the drill- another month older, another 30 minutes of your time scrolling through pictures of this tiny angel.  Happy 8 months, sweet pea!

(Can I get a virtual high five for 2 months in a row of timely posts?!  What, what!)

So- sweet potatoes, huh?  That was supposed to impress me?  Try again.

I think this was green beans.  Didn't inherit her Dad's love of them, as you can see.

Oh, you thought you could go into the kitchen and I'd stay in the living room?  Ohhh, Mom.  So naive.

I got Sophie.  Roll me around the neighborhood like a real Princess, Mama.

Clever decoy placing that bear there Mom.  I can still see the iPad though.

You keep bringing me so close to these carrots Mom.  I don't get it.

Don't you come close to this super seat.  I will make a velociraptor noise if you try to take it.

Take a good look at how clean these are now, lady.  They won't stay like that for long.

Someone's order must have really concerned her.

Harley visiting and playing the step stool game.  This is one of Emery's favs.

Whatever it is I didn't do it!  Oh, you mean knock Dad's boots over and pull his socks out when you turned your back for 0.5 seconds.  I might have done that.

Let's roll, Mama.

This is what one nap from 10:37-10:55 at school for the entire day looks like.

Just perusing the Restoration Hardware Christmas catalog.  She's got her Mama's taste.

Supervised dinner date.  Not pictured: Emery's first kiss shortly hereafter.  Let's just say that Jake is not shy.

Football games apparently are as riveting to Em as her Daddy.

This was taken on a Monday.  Couldn't have scripted this face better myself.

She's started having to wear shoes to school.  As you can see, she's pretty baffled by this turn of events.

Yogurt melt, huh?  This better be as tasty as a puff.

Mom, I have to tell you something.  I'm going to break it to you gently.  No matter what shoes  you put me in, I'm going to pull them off in the car on the way to school.  No matter what.  You shouldn't take it personally.

Apparently she did not approve of what I was trying on.  At least she's honest?

Go away, Monday.  (Seriously, this was also a Monday.)

I wish I knew what elicited this face.  I'd do it for all our pre-work/school photo shoots.

Get out of here, 8th month.  I'm ready for number 9!

Shaking Her Tail Feather

I know what you were thinking.  You were thinking, okay- we have made it over a week without Amy posting a barrage of Halloween pictures.  We might be in the safe zone.  Maybe she will just settle for the peppering of photos on Instagram and Facebook and avoid subjecting me to more.  Not so fast my friends, not so fast.  What kind of mother would I be if I did not utilize ALL media outlets to the best of my ability to document every adorable moment of Emery's first Halloween?  When I type it like that you have one hand on the phone to call CPS, don't you?  We definitely do not want that.

So here we have it.  Obviously I had to buy a onesie that can really only withstand one wear given it's festive nature to send her to school in that morning.  As you've likely gathered from my commentary on my monthly photo dumps, she's not a huge fan of morning photo shoots.  Who is, really?  Halloween morning was no different.  If your house at 6 am is comprised of 2 adults yelling commands at one another and silently cursing for missing the moment in their head- then you have a life-sized picture of what October 31st was like in our house.

What is that buzzing sound?  Is it my parents talking to me?  I can't imagine why they would try to do that when I can see the remote off in the distance.

Ha.  Daddy, I've never seen you make that particular maneuver.  I'll reward you with one short-lived glance your way.  Won't happen again.

Hey Mom, look at me.   I'm practicing walking like a big girl.

If you think one uncooperative child seems like a cake walk, trust me- we have 2.  One is furry and weighs 100 pounds.  If you think she's going to move out of your shot, you're very incorrect.

Are we almost done?  Feels like we should be almost done.  I could go for some puffs right now.

Post-photo shoot cool down session.

The evening of Halloween, Ryan was working so my parents were kind enough to come over to hang out with me.  That way they could help answer the door while I worked through Emery's bed time routine.  That was the guise anyway, I think anyone who knows any grandparent anywhere knows they just wanted to see their baby girl in a costume.  

Did you think that the ruckus caused by the morning photoshoot might dissuade me from putting this child back in a costume it's well documented she doesn't like?  Ha.  You've learned nothing about me.  I definitely put that kid back in her costume and told her to werk it.  Luckily the results this time around were far more favorable.

Little known fact:  the peacock's favored method of transportation is crawling.  Walking is overrated.

 I learned the main error in picture taking at Melanie and Jonathan's the weekend before was not having Sophie.  She's a crucial distractor.

 Mom, I know we're experimenting with shoes now, but these are a little fashion-forward for an almost 8 month old, don't you think?

Please.  Please help me.

This is one of my favorites.  Maxing and relaxing.

Alright.  I've looked at the camera enough.  I'm out of here.

HighTAILing it to her box o' toys.  (Seriously how punny am I?!)

This series is really just because a peacock playing with infant toys is hysterical.

My Dad pointed out that this costume san tail could double as like a parrot.  Maybe next year.

Awful, awful picture, but physical evidence that Mama was in fact present.

Grandpa and his tiny fluorescent turkey.

Nonnie and her yittle yove.

I hope you all had as wonderful a Halloween this year as we did!  Thank you again to Nonnie & Grandpa for coming over and helping me out.  We love you!